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500 sign petition for traditional liturgy in Milan
December 31, 2007

At least 500 Catholics have petitioned the Archdiocese of Milan for the restoration of the traditional Latin liturgy, reports noted Vatican-watcher Andrew Tornielli of the Italian daily Il Giornale.

In Milan, the most populous Catholic diocese in Europe, has its own distinctive liturgical tradition, the Ambrosian rite, which was preserved after Vatican II by order of Pope Paul VI, a former Archbishop of Milan.

After Pope Benedict XVI issued his motu proprio Summorum Pontificum in July 2007, broadening access to the traditional Latin Mass, archdiocesan authorities announced that the papal document did not apply to Milan, because Summorum Pontificum applies specifically to the Roman rite, not to the Ambrosian rite. That proclamation from Milan, made public in September, reportedly caused consternation at the Ecclesia Dei commission, the Vatican body responsible for implementation of the motu proprio.

Msgr. Luigi Manganini, the archpriest of Milan's cathedral and a powerful force in the archdiocese, had announced that the motu proprio would not take effect even in those Milan parishes that have always practiced the Roman rite, because there has been no group requesting the traditional liturgy. Now Il Giornale reports that an internet site has collected the signatures of 500 people making that request.